


Break Your Silence

by Anonymous



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Drama, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Past Violence, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 22:17:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19282297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Starscream and Megatron have a late night conversation.





	Break Your Silence

When a message popped up on the screen and interrupted the lively conversation, Starscream let out a long sigh. Wheeljack stopped talking. 

“The  _ Lost Light _ ,” Starscream explained, reluctantly removing his pedes off the desk and sitting up straighter. “Unfortunately, I have to take this. Need to see what the fools want this time. It better not be Rodimus and Deadlock-or whatever his name is-pranking me again.” 

 “Alright, Star,” Wheeljack said. “We'll catch up tomorrow, but promise me you’ll recharge.” 

 Starscream smirked. “Of course. It’s going to be a busy morning, what with everybot wanting to talk to me about my generous aid to those stranded colonists.” 

 Wheeljack rolled his optics before cutting the communication. Starscream lazily swiped a digit across the screen to move to his next conversation. 

 The transmission was shoddy, the image flickering and shorting out as the other bot began to speak. When it eventually cleared up, Starscream's spark pulsed rapidly in its chamber. Now, he clenched and unclenched his servos, his wings trembling a little bit as the familiar voice filled his audials. 

 “Starscream.” Megatron's tone was unusually soft, hesitant. “I don’t have much time. We’re…well, let's just say that there's never exactly a quiet moment on this ship. But, I need to do this all the same. It's time." 

 Starscream shuttered his optics for a klik and reset his vocalizer before responding. “I have a lot of things on my list as, you know, the leader of Cybertron, so your problems might have to wait. Takes a lot of work to make _real_ change around here." He carefully studied the old warlord's expression for a moment, testing the waters, before his optics drifted to the vivid red brand on Megatron's chassis. 

 “No, it's nothing like that. We're fine,” Megatron said. “I just wanted to have a moment. I wish I could be with you." He paused, cringing. "Not like...I meant in the same room talking face-to-face. But, this is good, even though the quality isn't. I…uhh…” 

 Starscream met his gaze again, smoothing his expression into a look of mild indifference with a note of fatigue as he propped his helm on his servo. “Are you going to channel your inner poet and spit it out already?” 

 Megatron hesitated, still stumbling over his words as Starscream gave him an amused half-smile. 

 “I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on the past lately,” Megatron continued once he finally regained his train of thought. “Everything from the mines to the last cycles of the war have haunted me. I avoid recharging too often because it's nothing but piles of offlined corpses in my dreams every time. So much pain and destruction." 

 Starscream grabbed a trinket from the corner of his desk and spun it around. “Hmm…must be tough. As the former Head Psychologist of the Decepticon Army, I'm glad you came to me with this." 

 Megatron quickly pressed on. “But, the thing is, large scale devastation is almost easier to cope with than the more intimate, personal harm I’ve caused.” 

 This time, Starscream slammed a fist on the desk, causing Megatron to flinch. “No!” he said firmly. “I know what you’re doing and I won’t have it! You’re not going to start sucking up to me to save your public image. Go tell your sob story to your crew. I don’t care.” 

 “Public image? I destroyed that a long, long time ago. This isn’t about me,” Megatron said, voice still gentle. “There are things I can’t ignore another cycle, things that won’t leave my processor." 

 “Yes, we all have problems, I suppose. Things that pain us,” Starscream said nonchalantly as he leaned back and folded his servos. “Mine was the agonizing helmaches I used to get, but always shrugged off. Finally discovered that I had actual processor damage. Too much repeated blunt trauma. Anyway, go on, but know that I'm not passing your screed along to anybot." 

 Megatron rubbed his forehelm, gaze downcast as if he was doing everything in his power to keep his emotions in check. When he looked back at Starscream, his optics were misty, his face full of sorrow. Starscream blinked in surprise. 

 "I can't just bury the nightmares anymore. I need to face them," Megatron said, his voice wavering. "The asteroid in particular. Primus, I don't even know what to say. I want to purge every time I remember. I'm so deeply s---" 

 Starscream’s intake hitched and his optics glazed over as he stared at the screen, unseeing, as Megatron went on. His wings were shaking again, but he didn’t seem to notice them. Or hear Megatron break away from his lamentation and say his name over and over in alarm. One might have thought a switch had been flipped in Starscream’s processor, wiping away that confident, self-satisfied demeanor and air of authority and rebooting his whole system until he was a cowering husk of his usual self. 

 He finally snapped out of his stupor after a painful stretch of awkwardness. "No, no..." he said hoarsely. 

 "Starscream--"

 "NO" Starscream wailed, grabbing his helm. "Don't do this. Please, anything but this." 

 Megatron kept talking, pleading with him until Starscream gathered his wits long enough to abruptly end the chat. He slumped back in his chair, the dark room enveloping him in sweet silence where he remained for what seemed like a full joor. He wrapped his servos around himself protectively as he shivered. The screen lit up again, signaling another call from the _Lost Light._

 He ignored it, instead opting to climb to his pedes and stumble over to a cabinet where he kept bottles of expensive, high grade energon. 


End file.
